Consumer, retail contests planned to promote consumption

Contests for consumers and retailers will permeate the Chilean avocado season.

Maggie Bezart, marketing director with the Chilean Avocado Importers Association, Washington, D.C., said that from the beginning of the 2012-13 marketing season CAIA will run a “Grab Some for the Game” promotion, which includes $75,000 in prize money for winning retail avocado displays.

CAIA also is investing $40,000 in consumer promotions through its Chilean Avocado Lovers Club. Retail shoppers also can enter contests by use of quick-response codes on products at retail, Bezart said.

Social media also will be central to the contests, she added.

“We will be running a minimum of two contests every month, including not only cash prizes but a retail grocery card,” Bezart said, referring to a $500 gift card for a grocer of the winner’s choosing.

CAIA also will award two $5,000 gift cards as grand prizes, Bezart said.

“Everyone that enters the contest, either in-store or through social media, (is) entered to win our grand prizes,” she said.

CAIA, a co-sponsor of college football’s Fiesta Bowl for the third year in a row, also is giving away a trip for two for the game in Glendale, Ariz., to join association officials at a game-day celebration and watch the football game in the CAIA suite.

Toward the spring, contests and other promotions take a more nutritional turn, Bezart said.

“For February and March, our next contest will focus on our new nutritional methods, which is ‘Mmmm, That’s Good,’ which focuses on quality, taste and nutritional benefits of avocados,” she said.

The Hass Avocado Board has reported that it likely will have new nutritional benefits to report about the fruit around the beginning of the year.

Display contests will reflect the changing theme, Bezart said.

“When you come to January, the holidays are over, football clears out and in January you’re moving into the health messaging, with all the New Year’s resolutions out there,” she said.

She said promotions will tie into American Heart Month in February.

“We’ll be focusing on taking care of yourself and adding avocados to your diet,” she said.

Radio ads with local tags, billboard messages, retailer-specific programs and contests will be individualized for each retailer’s needs, Bezart said.

“I love our social media program, and we have lots of social media contests we’ll be running,” she said.

Display contests will have cash prizes of various amounts for retailers, Bezart said.

“Every photo that’s submitted, the produce manager will receive an online scratcher and have a chance to win a minimum of $50 up to $500,” she said.

Contest participants will receive a code number and enter it online for a chance to win.

“I feel it’s more important with the economy the way it is, to reward with money more than material items,” Bezart said.

The contests have been tweaked at bit, but the concept is proven, said Dana Thomas, president of Bloomington, Calif.-based avocado grower-shipper Index Fresh Inc.

“All those things have been done and there’s nothing new about them, but they’re time-proven ways of increasing velocity and demand,” he said.